SC upholds conviction of Sanjay Dutt, reduces jail term

VERDICT\\ The Supreme Court in March upheld the death sentence of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The court also upheld the conviction of Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act. The court, however reduced the actor’s six-year jail term given by TADA court to five years. SC said the convicts who were on bail, including Sanjay Dutt, will have to surrender within four weeks. The SC commuted the death sentence of 10 other convicts to life imprisonment. The apex court commuted the death sentences on the ground that the convicts were behind bars for 20 years and their economic condition was weak. The court upheld the life sentence of 16 out of 18 convicts sentenced by the TADA court. The life sentence of Ashrafur Rehman Azimulla was reduced to 10 years while that of Imtiyaz Yunusmiya Ghavte to jail term already undergone.